In the prior art, most sports bras for large breasted women include an elastic band which flattens the breast against the chest. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,957,466, 4,816,005, 4,583,544 and 4,325,378 disclose such an elastic band. Its inclusion, however, usually makes a garment very uncomfortable for a sports woman to wear.
More recent patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,851, which was issued to Dicker on Oct. 20, 1998, disclose bras which are designed to hold the breast in a pocket and which have supporting straps that pass over the shoulders and around the back. Some women engaged in active sports report that Dicker's bra does not give them adequate support and even restricts their movements.